Music-chart.



Patented Mar. 2.8, 1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET I.

@72h-(MI [-.Imv-ms F. M. WOLFE.

Music CHART.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-30. I9I3.

1,177,002. Patented Maf. 28,1916.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

Z,mslm-IT ,I3

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPM Cn.. WASHINGTON, D. c.

UNITED l STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRANCIS M. WQLFE, or DURANr, `oKLAHoivrA.

Speeicaton of Letters Patent. Ptented B131. 289 1916 Application filed August 30, 1913. 4Serial1\1'o.`787,538.

- T all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANCIS M. WOLFE, a citizen of the United States of America, residing at Durant, in the county of Bryan and State of Oklahoma, have invented certain vnew and useful Improvements in Music- Charts, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates lto improvements in music charts, and more particularly to charts adapted for positioning in juxtaposition to the keys of a musicalinstrument for the purpose of enabling the performer to more readily select the keys to be operated and at the .Same .time .enable vtheptheory to be .clearly understood.

.The .objects .of my .invention are to provide a A chart of this Atype Y.which is simple and readily understood, which will serve as an elicientguide both in performing and understanding the underlying theories, and which is arranged to permit its use in connection with any key signature.

To vthis and other ends, the nature `of which will be readily understood as the invention is hereinafter disclosed, my invention consists in the general arrangement and combination hereinafter more fully described in the accompanying drawings, and 4more particularly pointed out in the appended l claim.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference characters represent similar parts in each of the views: Figure l is a plan view of the chart with the slide removed, said chart indicating the key of C. Fig.,2 is a plan view of the chart, the slide being shifted to indicate the scale in the key of G. Fig. 3 is a cross section of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 is an enlarged-view of one-portion of the device I`he chart comprises a -main portion, indicated as an entirety at 20.

2l designates a shiftable member which may be employed to indicate the scale in other keys than C-major, the main lchart having its rarrangement'. based solely on such C-major scale.

The charts may be of suitable material, suoli as pasteboard, or for example, printed sheets mounted upon a base of suitable material, the base being shown in the drawings at 20a. Furthermore, themember 21 may be secured in `position in any suitable way as by fasteners. In ythe drawings, however, I

have shown .e more rigid .structure in that' the member 2l is in the form of a metallic plate 2la having side Hanges 2lb which are adapted to be inserted in grooves 20b in the base, this relative arrangement being best shown in F ig.' 3.

The main chart 2O is provided with a'representation of the keyboard of a piano, said representation being adjacent the bottom, so that by placing the chart on the keyboard of a plano or the like, the different representations on the chart will be properly positioned above the respective keys. This portion of the chartisindicated at 22, and may be of a length to cover all or a Vmajor portion of the keyboard. A-n intermediate portion of this representation is continued upward-ly a suit.- able dista-nce to provide visual indications of the particular piano keys which should be employed in the formation of chords based on the scale of C-major, together with portions on opposite sides of the chord indications (vthe latter being indicated at 23) which set forth at 23, the nctes of the :major scale, and at 23h, the notes of the harmonic" minor scale. These notes are indicated by numerals Ipositioned lwithin the spaces corresponding to the piano keys which `are employed in producing these scales. the three parts 23 23a, 23b being separated by .longitudinal lines to segregate the parts from eachother. For thepurpose of bringing out the various features of the chart, .this -particular portion preferably extends a distance corresponding to three octaves, middle C being substantially the center.

Any suitable indications may be employed for readilyy showing which keys are to be combined for `forming a chord of particular character. Within theV space 23 I have shown these indications as being in the form of double-headed arrows, the' direction in which the arrows extend indicatingthe par.-

that particular key indicates the base of that` particular chord, the chords illustrated being ythose of the major scale.

. The vertical lines representing 'the "keys are continued tothe top of the' chart for am distance approximately equal to one octave, this being preferably the octave at the left of the scale, and on these extensions are the key representations. On the representation of a staff, indicated at 2st, which extends throughout the length of this portion of the chart, I place the key signatures of which the key representations form the tonic bass. For instance, on the representation of the key of l?, I locate the key signature of one iat; on the key of G, that of one sharp, etc., the key signatures covering the entire changes Within the octave. This particular portion of the'statf scale is indicated at 21tr.

On the staff 24k I also place, either in the proper spaces of the part 2# or at proper locations on the remainder of the chart, heavy indications which shonT the location of the particular key on the lines and spaces of the staff, thus clearly associating these indications both With the position of the keys on the instrument and also the letters representing these keys, each of these representations or indications being in vertical alinement. rIhese indications appear as notes 24V".

On the statt portion of the chart and preferably at proper positions thereon corresponding to the position of the bass note of the chord, I indicate in skeleton form the additional members 24 of a particular chord, showing the location on the statt' of these additional members. For instance, the space representing key F carries, on the staff, the note indications of the sub-domi nant chord; key G carries that of a dominant chord, lWhile key .C carries that of a tonic chord, these being shown at different places on the staff. In addition, YI have shown, at 2%! the. notes which indicate the minor chord Vof this particular scale.V At the right of the statt, Iindicate in letters the particular designation of each line and space. Y

As Willbe seenvfrom Fig. 1, the staff 24 is located spaced from the part 23, and I make use of this space to indicate various triads,the different notes which form a particular triad being connected by braces, as indicated at 25, and the' ends of the brace and the center indicating theV three tones which form the triad. In this way, not only is there provided a visnal indication of the manner in which triads are formed, but in addition, the visual indications are presented both with respect to the note representation'on the staff, and the location of the keyboard, thus enabling `the user to clearly associate the two parts and facilitate sight reading of the music. iVithin this space I also indicate octaves, tetrachords as ivell as the minor triads, the relative form of a tetrachord being designated as Well as the locationsl thereof with respect to each other.

i By lthisV arrangement, itwwill be readilyunderstood that all of the knowledge based on theory with respect to the natural scale is contained in the chart, and in such form that the performer Will readily associate the various facts both with respect to the stad and to the instrument, the general arrangement being such as to provide the results vvith facility and in a manner readily understood thereby enabling the beginner in the study of music as Well as its theory, to clearly understand the subject and permit of rapid progress being made.

As heretofore ypointed out, the main chart pertains particularly to the C-Inajor scale alone. To enable this information to be applied With respect to other scales, I preferably employthe shiftable chart 21, carrying indications which are to take the place of the parts 23 and 25. This particular chart shows a dierent Way in which the chordmembers may be indicated, the indications being by color and not by arrows as in the main chart. F or instance, the tonic chords are indicated in red, the dominant in blue, and the sub-dominant in black. It will also Vbe seen that the colored portions are of two types, some of them being in the form of squares, and others in the form of oblongs. Where the representation is in the form of a square, the lower portion indicates that this particular key is in the bass of the chord, While the oblongs extending horizontally indicate parts of the chords. It will also be noted that in some cases small oblongsV or squares are employed, and these are intended to represent the additional keys which would change the triad into a chord of the dimin-V ished 7th, this assisting materially in modulation.

In use, the scale 2l is placed over the portion of the scale 2O for which it is to be substituted, the bass ofV the tonic chord, indicated by the largered square, being brought into alinement with the desired Vkey signature in the part 24a. For instance, if placed in alinement with the key signature of one sharp, the chart 21 Will have its tonic bass on the Vkey lof G, and the relative scales, chords, etc., will be shifted to theirproper Vpositions-Witlfi respect to this key signature.

By shifting the scale2l lengthwise', the same particular arrangement will be applicable to Y each key signature, and regardless of Ythe i position of this chart, the various piano keys required to produce the several triads and tetrachords will be plainly indicated, and this without destroying practically the continuity existing between the stati scale and the representation of the keyboard.V I.

From the above, and the disclosure ofthe drawings, it Will be readily understood that I have provided a construction Which is complete as to detail and in which theV instruc tion to be given is in a form which enablesthe result to be obtained in a minimum amount of time, thus especially aiding in providing what may be termed sight reading.

While I have herein shown and 'described a preferred form in which the invention can be carried into effect, it may be readily un derstood that changes and Vmodifications therein may be required or desired, and I desire it to be understood that I reserve the right to make any and all such changes or modifications as may be found necessary or desirable in so far as the same will fall within the spirit and scope of the invention as eX- pressed in the appended claim.

lVhat is claimed is:

A music chart composed of a bar and a slide thereon, the face of said bar being divided below the slide into spaces of a width to register with the keys of a piano keyboard, said spaces bearing the notes of the diatonic scale, the face of the bar above the slide bearing a musical staff having the notes of the diatonic scale indicated thereon in registry with the corresponding spaces below, the stati'l also having registering key names and key signatures and further bearing chord notes; the slide bearing rows of registering spaces arranged to register with the spaces below7 the slide, the upper row of said spaces bearing brackets and chord names grouping notes into chords, the lower row of the slide spaces bearing numbers indicating the notes of the major diatonic scale, one intermediate row of slide-spaces bearing numbers indicating the notes of the relative minor scale, and a remaining row of slide spaces bearing harmonic indications.

In testimony whereof I afHX my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANCIS M. WOLFE. Witnesses:

W. D. SAwIN, W. O. BRENNAN.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for ve cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. C. 

